product key

[ewing519]

Windows 98 installed at dealers. Staples is reformatting
and has already wiped the computer so no product key
available. Dealer is now bankrupt and the xo number
doesn't match my registration. Anything I can do or is it
Windows upgrade time?

[Steven Burn]

You'll need to purchase another copy of Windows.......

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!


"ewing519" > wrote in message
...
> Windows 98 installed at dealers. Staples is reformatting
> and has already wiped the computer so no product key
> available. Dealer is now bankrupt and the xo number
> doesn't match my registration. Anything I can do or is it
> Windows upgrade time?

[Ron Badour]

The W98 ProductKey is generally found on the Windows user manual, the
certificate of authenticity, a sticker on the PC or a sticker on the sleeve
or jewel case the Windows CD came in. The 25-digit key is 5 groups of 5
alpha/numeric characters. The Key might be available from the system:

If the system is working in either safe or normal mode:

Open regedit.exe to this key and look in the right pane for the entry
ProductKey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion

If the system is not working, start the computer with a floppy startup disk.

At the A: prompt, type: C:\Windows\Command\Find /N "ProductKey"
C:\Windows\System.dat
(Note: ProductKey must be typed in upper and lower case letters as shown
and there is a space after: "Find" after: "/N" and after:
"ProductKey"

If the hard drive has been formatted or replaced, US customers can contact
Microsoft at: 1 800 642-7676. They will issue retail and OEM product keys
after verifying data located on the W98 CD.

I suggest writing the ProductKey on the CD with a Sharpie marker.


--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"ewing519" > wrote in message
...
> Windows 98 installed at dealers. Staples is reformatting
> and has already wiped the computer so no product key
> available. Dealer is now bankrupt and the xo number
> doesn't match my registration. Anything I can do or is it
> Windows upgrade time?

[Ron Martell]

"ewing519" > wrote:

>Windows 98 installed at dealers. Staples is reformatting
>and has already wiped the computer so no product key
>available. Dealer is now bankrupt and the xo number
>doesn't match my registration. Anything I can do or is it
>Windows upgrade time?

Staples caused the problem by wiping the hard drive before ensuring
that the CD and product key needed to reinstall Windows was available.

It is a piece of cake to extract the product key from the registry,
provided Windows is still functioning.

Tell Staples to use an unformat utility so as to get your original
Windows back, or at least some of it. Once this is done and the
registry files located it is possible to extract the product key from
them.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."